The proposed research involves 1) the study of environmental contingencies maintaining dependent and independent behavior in the preschool setting; 2) the development of systematic procedure for manipulation of environmental contingencies to encourage independent behavior; 3) an examination of the relationship between independent classroom functioning and cognitive skills; and 4) the study of the development of sex-role stereotyped behavior in preschool children, the environmental contingencies maintaing this behavior and the relationship between such behavior and cognitive skills. Specific studies in progess include 1) the use of cueing plus social reinforcement for successive approximations to independent functioning to increase rates of task persistence and decrease rates of proximity seeking and requests for assistance, 2) the development of behaviorally based masculinity and femininity scales for preschoolers and investigation of correlates with cognitive skills (Wechsler IQ scores, Preschool Embedded Figures Test, etc.), 3) examination of the response of elementary school children to stories of boys and girls involved in both traditionally masculine and feminine roles, and 4) observational studies of teachers' behaviors which encourage sex-stereotyping of children's activity preferences.